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Back-to-school: Residents receive scholarship awards

Three exceptional students and community leaders from Toronto Community Housing's Allenbury Gardens neighbourhood are headed back to school this fall, equipped with a scholarship or bursary award.

Samuel Baah, Raed Salah Eid and Amir Hossein Shojaee were selected for these awards because they demonstrated academic excellence, volunteered at various community events, mentored younger residents and by doing so, have contributed to the�Allenbury Gardens community, which is now undergoing revitalization.

"This scholarship is a huge jump-start that will really help me in my transition into university. Ever since elementary school, I've walked the same path to my schools for about seven years and I'm glad Allenbury Gardens has provided us with such a lovely community and houses to return to," said Raed, who will be attending York University this fall to study biology.

Families and friends of the recipients, staff from Toronto Community Housing and developer partner FRAM Building Group, attended the awards ceremony for the Allenbury Gardens Revitalization Scholarship Program on August 18 at 245 Fairview Mall Dr.

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From left to right: Frank Giannone, President, FRAM Building Group; awards recipients Raed Salah Eid and Samuel Baah; and Greg Spearn, Interim President and CEO, Toronto Community Housing

"At Toronto Community Housing, we believe that revitalization is more than building clean, safe, affordable homes. It's also about providing jobs, training, and scholarship opportunities for residents," said Greg Spearn, Interim President and CEO. "That's one of the reasons we are fortunate to work with partners like FRAM Building Group. FRAM also believes in these goals and in building vibrant communities where residents can thrive."

The Allenbury Gardens Revitalization Scholarship Program is one of three scholarship programs that Toronto Community Housing has created with the help of private sector and community partners to provide financial support to residents interested in pursuing educational or training opportunities. Nine residents have benefited from the program since it was launched in 2013 as part of the Allenbury Gardens revitalization project.